Of course, having an iPhone with an iCloud lock is a problem because you can’t use it unless you unlock it. Moreover, it’s not easy to open the iCloud locked iPhone. Before we tell you how to unlock the iCloud lock, we would like to tell you: What’s an iCloud Locked iPhone?
What’s an iCloud-Locked iPhone?
Another name for an iCloud lock is ‘Activation Lock’; that’s a feature Apple introduced in iOS7 to prevent iPhone thefts. iPhones and iPads automatically turn on the Activation Lock when the option, ‘Find My iPhone’ is enabled. Once you enable the feature, nobody can delete the device, activate it on another account, or disable ‘Find My iPhone’ without entering the Apple ID username and password that initially set up the phone. Activation Lock is an effective anti-theft measure.
How Can You Tell When an iPhone is iCloud Locked?
If you find an onscreen message on your iPhone that reads Activation Lock, it means the phone is iCloud locked and requires the original Apple ID user name you used to set up your phone.
How to Unlock an iCloud Locked iPhone?
If you see the Activation Lock on your iPhone screen you are trying to activate; you will need to enter the Apple ID username and password that you used to activate the phone, and the phone will open. If you do not remember your Apple ID and password, you will need to reset the phone. If you are operating iOS11 or later, use the Two-Factor Authentication to guard your Apple ID, you can disable Activation Lock using your device passcode. Select ‘Unlock with Passcode’, tap ‘Use Device Passcode’, and then you will need to enter the passcode. The process becomes quite complicated when the username and password are not yours, like if you have purchased a used iPhone. If your iPhone is iCloud-locked, you have a few options. If the person whose account got originally used is near you, ask that person to enter the Apple ID account credentials on the phone. Once the phone gets to the home screen, go to Settings->iCloud->Sign Out (for iOS 10.2 or earlier) or Settings->[User Name]->Sign Out (for iOS 10.3 or up). If the user gets asked for the Apple ID username and password, the user should enter it and remove that Apple ID from the iPhone. On iOS 10.2 or earlier, the user will need to tap ‘Sign Out’ and tap ‘Delete from My iPhone’; the option will be ‘Turn Off’ in on iOS 10.3 and up, tap ‘Turn Off’. Then erase the phone again by going to Setting->General->Reset->Erase All Content and Settings. When the phone starts the next time, you won’t see the Activation Lock. That was the easy way out. What if the person whose iPhone you may be using isn’t around? In that case, you have another option: You go to a nearby repair shop that does iPhone repairs. You will need to pay the shop for phone unlock; it will still be the wisest thing to do for you, as Apple iPhones do not get opened easily.
Conclusion:
Yes, getting an iPhone iCloud locked is something that most Apple users do not like; still, it prevents your phone from falling into the wrong hands. If your iPhone is iCloud locked, and you have purchased the iPhone from one of your friends, you can ask that person to unlock the iPhone for you. If you don’t have that person in front of you, you have no option except to get to your nearest repair shop to get your iPhone unlocked. Cellfixx has certified iPhone technicians on hand that can unlock your iPhone among other types of repairs. Contact us for a free consultation.